Healthy Passover Treat: Roasted Cinnamon Pecans

This past month I decided to take proactive steps to take better care of my health. There were so many triggers... a friend passing...that I ultimately decided to take action. So, I have been going to the gym fairly regularly and eating healthy food. No starvation diet, just balanced eating and proper portions. There are so many tools that people can use these days to really monitor their health on a day-to-day basis. I just went ahead and grabbed some. I love using MyFitnessPal App on my phone, where I can log in my protein, fat and carbs intake, as well as how many glasses of water I've drank. I'm also using UP by Jawbone wristband, which is similar to FitBit, to track my activities in steps and my hours of sleep.  I know it's cliche to say that "I'm doing this for my kids", but I am saying it anyway, and I'm very proud of it.

With Passover coming up, I've prepared a healthier version of my favorite snack these days - roasted cinnamon pecans. This, hopefully, will drown out the call of the Passover macaroons! Anyway, here's my recipe. It's easy, healthy and YUMMMMM.... for kids and adults alike. And yes, this is a fun snack to make with kids. 

Ingredients:

2 egg whites

2 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

1/2 c sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

3 cups pecans 

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 225 F. Lightly grease the baking sheet.

2. Whisk the egg whites and vanilla in a large bowl.  Add the pecans in portions, and fold.

3. In a small tupperware with lid,  mix sugar, salt and cinnamon. Shake.

4. Add cinnamon-sugar in small quantity to the pecans and mix gently. *I used less than half of the cinnamon-sugar, so I'm saving the rest for future pancakes or roasted almonds.

5. Bake for an hour. Mix in between, every 10-15 minutes. 

ENJOY!

And now back to that portion control - just put some in little containers. They're handy to keep for snack, and good to add on your salad. Next snack to make: roasted savory cashews or almonds!

By the way, kudos to my very enthusiastic assistant.